


Look, Time Flies

by areum



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Kind of flying through time, NCT Dream Ensemble-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2020-01-01 00:14:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18324821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/areum/pseuds/areum
Summary: While standing, Jisung looks down and sees his current self. He looks up to the mirror and sees his five-year-old self.





	Look, Time Flies

Park Jisung opens his eyes. He stares down and oh, it’s the current him. He looks up to the mirror and he finds himself as a young boy again. What a cute boy he was.

The room surrounding him was of the hues red and blue. Only the sound of the rain outside could be heard. He continues to look around but it was a plain room where the grown-up Jisung was sleeping and—what’s this—a plane ticket to Beijing? Oh, Jisung remembers this.

From his peripheral vision, he sees a white light starting to blink by the far right corner of the room. He turns and he sees a door with the logo of an airplane on top. Jisung was sure that that door wasn’t there a while ago.

“Oh,” With his young boy voice, he voices out his realization of the plane ticket to Beijing. He picks it up and approaches the door with little footsteps. His shoes didn’t make any sounds, he noticed.

The door doesn’t have a knob, just a small scanner. He plays around with it for a while, crouching down and making funny faces in front of the glass. He had such young face, he changed so much.

Deeming it as the time for games finished, he placed the plane ticket to the scanner. In a flash, the hues of red and blue disappeared. The tones and colors were back to normal. The door opens along with it.

Before entering, he looks at his teenage self one last time with a wave before entering.

A bright flash of light wisps back to his eyes. He blinks a couple of times and sees that a man had just taken a picture of him.

Wait, it wasn’t only him in the picture. There were three other boys with him.

The sound of chatters and laughter filled his ears. The air feels different, it’s not like Korea. Jisung smiles, the realization buzzing him as he turns to his left.

The boy beside him caught his eyes and started to speak in Chinese. To his extensive knowledge in Chinese and having heard this conversation between them, he finally knew that what the boy said was, “I’m Zhong Chenle, let’s be friends!”

Zhong Chenle, his good ol’ buddy, ol’ pal. Even before debuting under the same group under the same company, they have met and Jisung is now convinced that this was how his fate was engraved.

They shook hands and Jisung, despite knowing he did not say anything back then because of the lack of knowledge of the language, said, “I’m Park Jisung.”

After saying that, his world literally starts to spins around. Because of the abrupt motion, he took a step back. His back hit another person in the process but because he was still small back then, the person didn’t even move an inch.

“Now, now, Jisung, don’t be afraid.” The comforting voice of his father could be heard. Once the dizziness reduced, he looks back and sees his family with him. “Your big brother even brought a little stuffed toy for you.”

He looks back in front.

SM Entertainment.

He smiles. His life was about to change at this moment.

Now that Jisung was so much older, he greatly appreciates his brother’s deed of bringing a stuffed toy.

He looks back to his family and starts to tear a little. His family, the people that’s been nothing but supportive towards him. The moment he has entered his dreams, there wasn’t any time to physically interact with them anymore.

God, he misses them so much and he’s so thankful for them.

“Don’t cry, Jisung, you’re not even auditioning yet, save the tears for later.” His mother jokes and comforts him, wiping away his tears with her thumb.

His brother pokes his cheek with the stuffed toy. He laughs as he finds that the stuffed toy was a dolphin. How cute.

“Thank you so much.” He knew that he didn’t give them the proper gratitude when he was still young. “For everything.”

“Go get ‘em!” His brother cheers him on.

With confidence and determination, he pushes open the gates of SM entertainment.

“Five, six, seven--hey, little dude, you okay?”

An American that was maybe half his size was all up in his face, worried.

“What?” He looks around and he was in a practice room with some of the members he’s familiar with, these foreign men, cameras, the managers, and the cameramen.

He finally got in SM Entertainment. He was finally a rookie at this stage.

“Jisung, are you okay?” Now it was Lee Taeyong that’s by his side. Jisung always thought that even back then, Taeyong possesses the qualities of a leader and he was grateful for that. So, so grateful for his Taeyong hyung and even his other hyungs.

“I’m okay, hyung.” He said that sincerely, His chest started to lighten, knowing that he had such caring and kind hyungs in this harsh industry.

Taeyong gives him a look for a few moments, then gives them the signal that they can resume back to practice. At the same moment, Jisung meets eyes with Ji Hansol. The latter gives him a reassuring smile and in contrast, Jisung gives him a sad smile. He was still with them at that time and Jisung wants to cherish this moment.

“Five, six, five six seven eight!”

Jisung moves.

“Hey, Jisung, what are you doing?”

Jisung looks back and sees that the older members weren’t here anymore, as well as the foreigners. Except, it was Mark Lee in front of him.

He has aged now. Instead of black hair, his hair was some kind of pinkish blond.

“Pwark Jisung wants to practice more.” Donghyuck appears beside Mark, drinking from a water bottle. He had brown hair.

He looks around and the rest of NCT Dream was in the practice room. Chenle had blond hair as well. Huang Renjun and Na Jaemin had brown hair, too. Lee Jeno was the one that stands out the most with his black hair.

Still confused about the era he was in, he looks at himself in the mirror and saw the mess that was his coconut head.

“Chewing Gum era?” He mumbles to himself.

“Maknae Jisung must be tired.” Jaemin, always the caring and the affectionate one, was by his side in no sweat. “Sit down for a while and rest.”

“Thank you, Jaemin hyung.” Jisung smiles at him and sits down on the ground.

“Hey, Jisung.”

But it was dim right now, only the night lamp by the side as the source of light in this dark room. Instead of the practice room, he was in a bedroom, sitting down on a chair with Jaemin in bed and he looks like he’s in pain. Oh no, Jisung knew this time. This was the time Jaemin was injured and couldn’t promote with them.

“I was telling you a story and you spaced out for a while.” Jaemin playfully pouts but Jisung notices how thin Jaemin was. “Listen to your hyung.”

“Are you okay?” He couldn’t help but ask, chest feeling heavy. The wind outside picks up from outside. It was the sole sound he could hear in this ghost-quiet room.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” Jaemin shrugs, but Jisung remembers so clearly that Jaemin would have that longing look in his face. Jisung knows by heart how much Jaemin wanted to perform with them.

“Why are you crying?” Jaemin asks, his smile gone from his face and replaced with a worried look. “Hey, I didn’t make you cry, did I?”

Jisung rapidly shakes his head in response to Jaemin’s question. “God, no, hyung.”

“Then what gives, maknae?”

“I just—” Jisung hiccups, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. “—want to perform with you again.”

Again, it was silent again and Jisung refrained from making any sounds coming from his throat.

A hand ruffles his hair messily. He doesn’t look up to Jaemin yet.

“I do, too.” Jaemin replies. His voice was always comforting. “But that doesn’t mean you guys should stop from what you’re doing. You should continue to prosper and perform even without me. You know that eventually, I’m going to join you guys again, right?”

His tears had dried down now so he finally looks up to Jaemin. His hand was still in his hair.

“Promise me that NCT Dream will succeed?”

“I promise.” Jisung closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath.

“NCT DREAM!”

Jisung snaps his eyes open and confetti was flying everywhere. The sound of the applause and encouraging cheers from their lovely sprouts.

This was NCT Dream’s first win.

“Congratulations, NCT Dream!” Their first ever award was given to Mark Lee and the members were crying, including himself.

“NCT Dream, let’s hear their winning speech!”

While the others were talking and giving their speeches, Jisung looks around but inevitably, Jaemin wasn’t with them. But Jisung knows that Jaemin was still apart in NCT Dream and that he was apart of their win as well.

_I fulfilled your promise, Jaemin hyung. I hope that you will recover in a stable process and you will get to perform with us soon._

“Thank you for supporting and for dreaming with us during this time. We’ll work harder in the future, too. Thank you so much.”

It was finally their encore and Jisung prays that before moving to another timeline, he would finish the encore to bask in the moment.

He couldn’t even laugh when Renjun’s voice broke while singing his part. In fact, Jisung was relieved when that happened. They worked so hard. It finally felt like their hardwork was being paid off.

He knew that there was more to come.

The sound of applause stopped. The sound of the door closing followed.

He wasn’t at the award show anymore. Instead, he was in the dorm with this person who just closed the door. Jisung looks closely. His eyes still felt heavy.

“Hansol hyung?” He chokes out.

Hansol looks back, startled. “Jisung, why are you still awake?”

Jisung knew Hansol’s intention by now. Jisung finally understands why Hansol was awake by this hour as well. Maybe by that time, sleep was still clinging onto him and he couldn’t comprehend what was about to happen.

“You’re going to leave, aren’t you?” He asks quietly. He knew it anyway, there was no need to ask anymore. He couldn’t even bring himself to cry anymore. He understands Hansol’s situation and stopping him now would stop his growth as well. Plus, nothing that Jisung can say can convince him to stay. He’s endured for far too long now.

Hansol was taken back to what Jisung said, but chose to not say anything back. It was the truth, anyway. Instead, he carefully approaches Jisung and pulls him into a hug. He smelt of shampoo and soap. The warmth radiating from him was comforting and Jisung grows a little sleepy.

“Take care, little buddy, yeah? Work hard and continue to achieve your dreams.” Hansol mumbles to his hair.

“You got that, hyung.” Jisung answers back with a smile on his face. “We’ll meet again, right?”

“Of course.” That’s all that he needs to hear

He opens his eyes to see a lot of people in the same room. A total of seventeen people, to be exact and they were all wearing black.

They were complete this time, all eighteen of them. Sadly, Hansol was no longer with them but that’s okay. He left without leaving a bitter trace. He did say that they were going to meet again and Jisung was sure that they would meet again.

Finally, it feels like they were a team. All of them. From different countries and with diversity, in no time, they can take over the world.

The next he knew, his hyungs disappeared and in front of him were different people.

“Just because you came from a big company, don’t expect any special treatment. We will be objective and assess you like the others.”

Despite being in a group with a great number of members, he wants more friends and by more friends, he means people his age. Dancing high was a great opportunity to meet people his age. He doesn’t want to receive any special treatment from anyone just because he’s from SM Entertainment.

Other people may think that he shouldn’t be here but he should just prove them wrong and show them that he’s not some big hotshot. He’s just a seventeen-year-old boy named Park Jisung.

“Are you ready, Park Jisung?” Lee Seunghoon asks him with a challenging spark in his eyes.

Jisung grins at him and starts.

“Awww!” A series of voices chorused from the audience and he finds that Mark facing away from them. Jisung looks back and exhales when it dawns to him that it was their Dream Show.

In the process of meeting new people in life, people will leave as well.

Mark wasn’t technically leaving, he’s just going to graduate from NCT Dream but still, Jisung debuted with Mark. The latter acted as their leader and their older brother all at the same time. The thought of not promoting under the same unit makes Jisung blue.

So for one last time, with Mark as an official NCT Dream member, they hugged.

“Yo Dream!”

When they separated, the sight of their first ever daesang in the hands of Jaemin catches Jisung’s eyes. A smile couldn’t help but makes its way on his face.

“Everyone, we are able to receive this award because of our precious NCTzens. From now on, please look at us kindly and we’ll become NCT Dream who works harder. Thank you, everyone! NCTzens!”

Jaemin was with them. To think that their first win with Jaemin was a daesang _and_ that this was the day after Renjun’s birthday. Things just couldn’t get any better.

Jisung counts. There were five of them. Jisung’s smile sips a little. Sadly, Mark and Donghyuck weren’t with them at the moment. Still, Jisung looks up with a hopeful look in his eyes.

_This is one goes to both Mark hyung and Haechan hyung, for their hardwork for the past three years._

“Jisung hyung!”

The newer members called out to him. Jisung feels weird. He’s been used to calling other people hyung. _Jisung_ and _hyung_ does not go together in the same sentence. Also, it seem weird when genuinely said and not just when it’s yaja time.

Time seems to fly fast.

“I’ll buy you all Korean beef.” He says out of the blue to his members but he does not need to worry. He’s confident that he can treat them all to Korean beef for all their hardwork and their patience.

“Really? Everyone, Jisung hyung is treating us to Korean beef!” They create a ruckus and they were enjoying themselves. Who was he to interrupt their moments of happiness?

“Alright, let’s go!” Then he was out the door, but his members weren’t with him. Instead, they were in the practice room, dancing to a new choreography.

He stays in his position, watching as the new leader of NCT Dream interacts with the other members. He watches as their youngest is a center spot in the choreography.

Jisung chuckles. He, too, was the youngest one time. Now, he has graduated.

Not lingering any further, he walks away from the practice room before anyone could see him.

The hallway was quiet when he left from his initial spot. It also seemed longer, dragging on for what seems like forever. Then he arrives in front of the only door left, which was at the very end of the hallway. He opens, and he was back to the room where he first started.

Just a few distances away was Jisung himself, still sleeping soundly. It’s just that now, he has a smile on his face.

“I’ve done well.” He says to himself. He sits down, lays down, and closes his eyes.

The morning Jisung wakes up, he feels like a load has been taken away from his chest. More than ever, he feels contented, grateful, and peaceful, most of all.

So Jisung gets up and gets ready, putting on a suit and tie and everything. He looks at the mirror and touches his face. He aged quite well.

Jisung decides to go up.

Every step he took, his heartbeat got louder and harder by the second. He doesn’t know but he can kind of hear their old song. Beautiful Time, was it? Ahh, that song’s a masterpiece. Excitement floods his entire being and he could feel his hand shake inside his pocket.

_Every day was enjoyable. The starlight that poured on us late at night, our beautiful time._

At last, he stands in front of the door. He took a deep breath and opens it widely. The song changed. It was now Dear Dream.

“Park Jisung.”

Mark was the first who greeted him.

_Sometimes when I think that reality is a dream, I worry about the seagull that always laughed for us._

“Took you long enough.” Renjun sneaks in.

“No fun, so late.” Jeno sighs with a smile on his face.

“Look, his eyebags are so big, must have been excited he couldn’t sleep.” Donghyucks jokes but Jisung knew he meant no harm.

“Jisungie! The person I appreciate the most!” Jaemin exclaims as he spreads his arms wide along with his smile.

“Hey, Park Jisung! You finally came! I was so tired of being the youngest!” Chenle whines.

Jisung laughs and shuts the door behind him. “Sorry, hyungs.”

“Ah, the first ever NCT Dream.” Mark says. “How I’ve missed this.”

“Mark hyung looks like he’s about to cry.”

They all laughed and Jisung feels like he’s at home again.

”Are you ready, Jisung?” They asked and Jisung couldn’t agree more. He waited for this moment for a very, very long time.

_Nobody will understand how much it means that you exist in my heart._

_I'll be your home._

**Author's Note:**

> this was self-indulgent i swear. i wanted to write an nct fanfic and this was what i thought of.


End file.
